Done deal, Paperwork follows; Arsenal to announce the SURPRISE signing of Crystal Palace man, Arteta also want to add Osimhen or Toney
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal will appoint Crystal Palace’s Head of Sports Medicine Zafar Iqbal as the new Head of Medical Services at the end of the season.
Arsenal lost former medical director Gary O’Driscoll in September, who left to take up the post of head of sports medicine at Manchester United.
Florence Newton took over on an interim basis and Academy doctor Ges Steinbergs also assisted the first team medical team.
Arsenal have now recruited an experienced doctor and Iqbal will join the Gunners when his notice period expires.
The doctor brings a wealth of experience to Palace, having worked with the Eagles for more than eight years.
He has also worked in the medical departments of Leyton Orient, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool and will transfer his knowledge to Arsenal.
The North London team has had several injuries during this period: Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Mohamed Elneny, Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu are currently suspended with knocks.
Iqbal hopes to help most of the players stay fit and recover quickly from injuries in the next period and beyond.
Arsenal and its Premier League rivals have invested more in the fitness of their squads in recent seasons, so recruiting one of the best in the business after losing the highly rated O’Driscoll will be a big boost.
The Canaries wanted to appoint Premier League chief medical officer Mark Gillett as his replacement, but that did not work out and Iqbal was chosen as O’Driscoll’s successor after a month-long search.
